Android wins smartphone of the year

Android won the smartphone OS war this year in definitive fashion, capturing 39 percent of the market, according to IDC. The research firm predicted that Android-based smartphones will dominate the market in 2015 with a nearly 44 percent share, while Apple and Research In Motion will battle for second place.

RIM’s BlackBerry operating system will see its market share slip from 16 percent last year to 14 percent in 2011, while the share of Apple’s iOS will increase from 16 percent last year to 18 percent in 2011, IDC predicted. Meanwhile, Windows Phone will wind up with less than a 4 percent share, since it will soon replace Symbian for Nokia.

Regardless of winners and losers, there’s been substantial growth in smartphone use worldwide. IDC said almost 305 million devices shipped in 2010 and projected that this year’s shipments will hit 472 million – a growth rate of 55 percent.

Future smartphone growth will be driven largely by the number of applications available, said IDC analyst Ramon Llamas.